Essay Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria

When a bacteria is exposed to antibiotics, they are not always guaranteed to die. This is called antibiotic resistance. Sometimes antibiotics can only stop the bacteria from multiplying (make it stagnate), and other times it causes the bacteria to multiply even more. These three results depend on antibiotic concentration, bacterial mutation, and bacterial genetic exchange.

Antibiotics are powerful very frequently used potential drugs in fighting bacterial infections worldwide, [1]. These agents saved millions of lives in the past fifty years in both hospital-based and outpatient settings. Inadequate measures to control the spreading of infections, overprescribing as well as inappropriate selection and dosing of antibiotics by healthcare providers, unfettered access to antimicrobials by public, failure to adhere to clinically desired treatment regimens are some of the driving force to spread of antibiotics resistance, [2]. In addition, lack of regulations to promote the rational use of antibiotics in humans, infection prevention and control are some of the other factors that lead to emergence of resistance to antibiotics, [3].

Throughout my life, adults have insisted the use of antibiotics to fight against the most inconsequential illnesses, whether it’s the cold or the flu. However, neither illness is due to invasion of bacteria. This misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, also known as antimicrobial resistance(AMR), currently one of the central issues facing the public health system. While the process for antibiotic resistance occurs naturally through the process of adaptation, the mismanagement of antibiotic resources has accelerated the rate at which the bacteria adapt. The occurrence of this misinformation isn’t limited to a few adults: even some of my peers suggest taking antibiotics when faced with the flu. This leads to asking whether AMR is truly a problem and are present regulations enough to combat the issue.

Antibiotics are inarguably one of the greatest advances in medical science of the past century. Although the first natural antibiotic Penicillin was not discovered until 1928 by Scottish biologist Alexander Flemming, evidence exists that certain plant and mold growths were used to treat infections in ancient Egypt, ancient India, and classical Greece (Forrest, 1982). In our modern world with the advent of synthetic chemistry synthetic antibiotics like Erithromycin and its derivative Azithromycin have been developed. Antibiotics have many uses including the treatment of bacterial and protozoan infection, in surgical operations and prophylactically to prevent the development of an infection. Through these applications, antibiotics have saved countless lives across the world and radically altered the field of medicine. Though a wonderful and potentially lifesaving tool, antibiotic use is not without its disadvantages. Mankind has perhaps been too lax in regulation and too liberal in application of antibiotics and growing antibiotic resistance is the price we must now pay. A recent study showed that perhaps 70% of bacterial infections acquired during hospital visits in the United States are resistant to at least one class of antibiotic (Leeb, 2004). Bacteria are not helpless and their genetic capabilities have allowed them to take advantage of society’s overuse of antibiotics, allowing them to develop

Antibiotic resistance evolves in bacteria. Charles Darwin created the theory of evolution which focused on natural selection being the key factor of how things change. Natural selection is when organisms that are better suited to the environment are able to reproduce successfully. Evolution is descent with modification. Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics by a mutation. The bacteria that did not die from the antibiotic inherited the gene from an ancestor that made it resistant. Since the other bacteria is dying faster than the resistant bacteria, the resistant bacteria are able to multiply

One environment where bacteria are regularly exposed to antibiotics is in large livestock operations, where producers very often treat their cows and other animals with drugs to prevent epidemics in the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, which are common in the livestock industry. The simple reason for this is that in the short term it is cheaper to drug up the animals with antibiotics than to keep a clean living environment for them. Another big reason for these producers to drug up the animals is the fact that feeding antibiotics to the livestock makes for larger animals. The problem occurs when bacteria in these animals survive the bombardment of antibiotics, and some always do, the

Antibiotic resistance has become a hot topic amongst scientists and healthcare professionals. It would be rare to observe in a clinical setting and not see some type of antibiotic resistant infection being treated. Scientists and medical doctors are scrambling trying to develop plans to discover new drugs or at least dampen the rate at which these organisms are developing resistance. Evolutionary biologists are claiming this type of resistance as proof of evolution, but is that a statement that is really supported by the evidence? It depends on which type of evolution is being talked about first. Macroevolution is the theory that one species can evolve into a totally different species. Microevolution is the change of genotypes and phenotypes

In an era where common people are perhaps more health-conscious than ever before, it is mainstream knowledge that meat treated with antibiotics and hormones may not be safe for consumption. Many chain restaurants, such as Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, and now Subway, will only buy meat from non-antibiotic suppliers, in order to meet increasingly high consumer standards. However, less than fifty years ago, meat from antibiotic treated livestock was actually preferred. What triggered this change in the way consumers scrutinize their food? It can be largely attributed to the research of one Stanford biologist and former Commissioner of the FDA, Doctor Donald Kennedy. Through opening the medical community’s eyes to the potential dangers of antibiotic resistance, Donald Kennedy shed light on one of the most troubling phenomena of modern medicine. However, before he was a Harvard graduate and esteemed biologist, Kennedy was a child growing up like any other in a New York City stricken by the Great Depression.

It is undeniable that the recent discovery of antibiotics and disinfectants in the past century is leading to the creation of increasingly dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Super bugs like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus have begun breaking out in hospital areas, killing more and more patients due to the lack of people following through with simple safety measures. In order to stop the creation and spread of antibiotic-resistant super bugs, proper precautions must be taken such as avoiding antibacterial cleaners, following through with instructions when taking prescriptions and maintaining adequate hand hygiene. Through adhering to basic safety rules, the creation and spread of super bugs can be minimized and all together

Since antibiotics, such as penicillin, became widely available in the 1940s, they have been called miracle drugs. They have been able to eliminate bacteria without significantly harming the other cells of the host. Now with each passing year, bacteria that are immune to antibiotics have become more and more common. This turn of events presents us with an alarming problem. Strains of bacteria that are resistant to all prescribed antibiotics are beginning to appear. As a result, diseases such as tuberculosis and penicillin-resistant gonorrhea are reemerging on a worldwide scale (1).

Frequent antibiotic use over long periods of time puts selective pressure on bacteria, and causes resistance to spread. When an antibiotic is used to treat a typical bacterial infection, most bacteria are killed. Sometimes, however, a bacterium with an advantage lives. This bacterium can then reproduce and pass its advantage on, creating many more antibiotic resistant bacteria.​ Sometimes in medicine, antibiotics are used too often or incorrectly, which can cause resistance to spread faster than it would

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a public health challenge supplemented by inappropriate prescribing, especially for an upper respiratory tract infection in primary care. Patient/carer expectations have been identified as one of the main drivers for inappropriate antibiotics prescribing by primary care physicians. The aim of this study was to understand who expects an antibiotic for a upper respiratory tract infection from their doctor and the reasons underlying it.

According the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s greatest health threats to date (Haddox, 2013). In the article, The Health Threat of Antibiotic Resistance, Gail Haddox (2013) discusses the danger antibiotic resistance poses in today’s society and strategies to prevent the expansion of antibiotic resistance. In Europe alone, an estimated 25,000 deaths have been attributed to multi-resistant infections (Haddox, 2013). Common infections are now harder to treat due to the increased resistance to antibiotics across the world, in fact some are becoming untreatable. Antibiotics should be treated like oil, a non-renewable resource (Haddox, 2013).

Chan, 2012). Further, as some antibiotics elicit side effects and a dramatic decrease in the rate of

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a worldwide health risk that has people brought by attention. According to, Barlam, and Gupta authors in the article, “Antibiotic Resistance Spreads Internationally Across Borders”, state that “ABR develops when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics either during treatments in humans or animals or through environmental sources contaminated with antibiotic residues” (12). Therefore, ABR is causing humans with bacterial infections, unable to treat infections because of the resistance to the antibiotics. Discussed in the article, ABR is “Spread beyond those administered antibiotics occurs through direct contact with the infected or colonized person or animal, through contact or ingestion of retail meat ...” (Barlam and Gupta 12). A variety of food-producing animals is affecting humans’ health due to farmers, and vets providing treatments to animals. These farmers are allowing these vets to prescribe antibiotics to animals to help their growth in their business. The types of antibiotics provided to the food-producing animals grow for faster production, or to treat animals that are sick or have health issues. Nevertheless, farmers play a big factor in the growth of ABR. The human population is exhibiting an increase in infections and illnesses because the drugs doctors are prescribing, their body is resistant to the drugs. Adding antibiotics to promote growth in food-producing animals, over-prescribing them for health reasons, and allowing